Since bonding over our mutual admiration of the music made by Kanye West and the members of the Odd Future collective several years ago, Aaron Rhodes and I have shared intimate components of our personal lives with each other. And from time to time, we fuss and fight like father and son. We conduct ourselves with admirable civility in the latest episode of our In My Headache podcast. The 33-year difference in our ages leads to largely respectful disagreements about albums by the Mexican pop star Sofía Reyes, the indie-folk band Big Thief and the reggae ruffian U-Roy.
February 2022 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency
Screenshot of Abbey Lincoln in the trailer of Nothing But a Man by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums (Released in February)
1. Joyce DiDonato- Eden
Serpent repellent.
2. The Kahil El'Zabar Quartet- A Time for Healing
3. Binker and Moses- Feeding the Machine
England swings.
4. Sofía Reyes- Mal de Amores
A Mexican mélange of Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande.
5. Big K.R.I.T.- Digital Roses Don't Die
The graying of the Dirty South.
6. Del McCoury- Almost Proud
7. Gidon Kremer- Weinberg: Sonatas for Violin Solo
Eastern European angst.
8. The Adam Larson Trio- With Love, From Chicago
9. Rokia Koné- Bamanan
Metropolitan Malian music.
10. Bad Boy Chiller Crew- Disrespectful
Cretin hop.
Top Ten Songs (Released in February)
1. Jana Rush featuring DJ Paypal- “Lonely”
Ornette Coleman gets the Chicago footwork treatment.
2. Claire Rousay and More Eaze- “floor Pt. 2”
Android dreams of electric sheep.
3. Rosalía- “Saoko”
Transformation.
4. Cécile McLorin Salvant- "Until"
Time stands still.
5. Pusha T- “Diet Coke”
“That’s a joke, right?”
6. $not and A$AP Rocky- “Doja”
Wildcatting.
7. Maren Morris- “Background Music”
Nashville existentialism.
8. Robert Glasper featuring Yebba- "Over"
My favorite Black Radio III track.
9. Willie Nelson- “I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die”
Backatcha, Willie.
10. Lívia Nestrovski and Henrique Eisenmann- "Sete Estrelas"
Top Ten Movies, Television Broadcasts and Streaming Programming (viewed for the first time in February, in lieu of a full resumption of live music)
1. Jeen-yuhs (2022)
2. Donda Experience Performance (2022)
“Do I look happy to you?”
3. Nothing but a Man (1964)
Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln star in an excruciating study.
4. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
Hypnotic.
5. Cathie Wood interview on CNBC
A robust defense of poor performance.
Bruising double-overtime men’s basketball thriller.
Timeless heartbreak at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia.
8. Rosita (1923)
Mary Pickford as a Spanish street singer.
10. Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show (2022)
Forgot about Dre.
Last month’s survey is here.